http://www.heraldandnews.com/articles/2004/08/20/news/community_news/cit6.txt

Property rights forum at OIT

Aug. 20, 2004

By BROOK REINHARD

Public officials and private property lobbyists will share their knowledge on Oregon property rights Saturday at the 2004 Klamath Land Use Forum at Oregon Institute of Technology.

Klamath Falls City Manager Jeff Ball, Klamath County Commissioner Al Switzer and State Rep. Bill Garrard will join representatives from advocacy groups such as Oregonians in Action, Citizens Educating Americans and the American Dream Coalition. The cost of the workshop is $25, which includes lunch.

One speaker will be Dave Hunnicut, the executive director of property rights group Oregonians in Action. His group is now backing Measure 37, the so-called "son of 7," that seeks to compensate property owners when state or local government makes policies that affect land values.

"It's a pretty simple idea," he said. "If you're going to pull the rug out from under a property owner's feet, you've got to pay for what you take." Saturday's event, co-sponsored by Oregonians in Action and the Committee for a Healthy Klamath Economy, is a chance for property owners and business people to learn more about their rights, state laws and regulations, according to Jed Etters, a real estate agent and committee director.

"What I feel we're doing is getting everything out in the open," he said. "We're putting all this out there because we don't want the wrong thing to happen in Klamath."

The forum begins at 9:30 a.m. at OIT's Mount Mazama Room in the student union, and runs through 3 p.m. For more information, call Etters at 891-5431, Frank Goodson at 882-4478 or Jeff Woodwick at 850-9001.